Nafiah Ikram was in the driveway of her dwelling on New York’s Long Island one night when she felt somebody rush up behind her. A liquid splashed her in the face.
She screamed for her father.
“I started … panicking. I was like, ‘Dad, someone threw something in my face!’ Ikram said following the attack in Elmont, New York. “And he was like, ‘Oh my God, it’s acid.’ ”
It was March 17, 2021. The sulfuric acid scorched Ikram’s face, neck and chest, and completely blinded her proper eye, requiring quite a few surgical procedures and reconstructive grafts.
For practically 5 years, as she navigated the bodily and emotional aftermath of the shock attack, the case went unsolved. Her mysterious assailant, who fled in a purple Nissan Altima, remained unknown.
But for Ikram and her household, the case this week took a welcome flip. Prosecutors on Tuesday charged a 29-year-old Brooklyn man, Terrell Campbell, with assault, prison possession of a weapon and illegal possession of noxious materials. He pleaded not responsible and is being held with out bail.
Two years after the incident, investigators stated, the aspiring hip-hop artist posted a music to YouTube in which he boasted about an acid attack. One line goes, ‘On the road in the night time like a hitman murderer, attempting to run up and have your face burned in acid.”
Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly described the music as “cruel and brazen,” and an try to additional Campbell’s music profession.
“It’s sickening,” Donnelly instructed reporters Tuesday. “He bragged on the internet for everyone to see. He thought after several years without an arrest that he was home free.”
Campbell’s legal professional, Gregory Zak, declined to remark when contacted by NCS.
After virtually 5 years of dwelling in worry, Ikram stated the arrest has introduced her some reduction.
“I’m glad that I’ve closed the chapter on the uncertainty and the
safety and the looking over the shoulder,” she instructed NCS affiliate News 12 Long Island.
Ikram was 21 and a student at Hofstra University when the attack occurred. She’d simply returned dwelling from her job at an area pharmacy and was gathering gadgets from her automotive earlier than going inside.
Investigators on the time stated her attacker was carrying a black hooded sweatshirt and gloves.
A close-by surveillance digital camera captured grainy video of the attack, however the assailant appeared largely as a blur as he rushed up behind her, then fled into the night time.
The attack surprised the suburban New York neighborhood and drew widespread consideration. “Top Chef” host Padma Lakshmi, a good friend of Ikram’s household, went on Instagram and urged people to share related data with police.
Ikram suffered first- and second-degree burns to her face, proper eye, arms and throat. The harm to her throat was so extreme she should bear repeated operations to take away scar tissue, Donnelly stated.
“She survived the attack, but that was just the beginning of a painful journey for a beautiful young woman … for the past five years, she endured this unimaginable pain. She has also lived with two heartbreaking questions — who and why?” Donnelly added.
“Today, I am proud that we are finally able to answer one of those questions…” she stated. “As for the why, our investigation continues and we cannot provide any additional details at this time.”
Despite her life-altering accidents, Ikram stated she stays optimistic.
“I’ve realized just being a good person and being true to who I am no matter what, is where Terrell lost and where his downfall was,” she instructed News 12 Long Island, “because I refuse to lose my morals and my humanity no matter what happens to me.”
Nassau County Police stated the large break in the case got here from a tip a few attainable suspect from somebody who’ll obtain a $50,000 Crime Stoppers reward. Investigators declined to supply extra details about the tipster’s id.
After investigators recognized Campbell, they labored with the New York Police Department to find out his handle and located a purple Nissan Altima parked exterior, Donnelly stated.
“We later learned that he had regular use of a red 2015 Nissan
Altima back in 2021 that was registered to a family member,” Donnelly stated. “As we continued our investigation, we reviewed Campbell’s internet search history. In the minutes following the 2021 attack, we found searches asking, ‘how do I remove sulfuric acid from my car’s fabric?’”
The district legal professional’s workplace additionally found Campbell had posted a music video to his music, “Obsidian,” in October 2023 beneath the identify YungBasedPrince. The music’s lyrics match the narrative of the crime, Donnelly stated.
“Two years after he ambushed Nafiah and left her screaming in pain on her front lawn, he actually produced and uploaded a music video to YouTube boasting about throwing acid in a woman’s face … A harrowing attack boiled down to some lyrics to get him attention,” she stated.
Authorities stated they’re working to find out a motive for the attack however declined to supply extra particulars. They’re additionally trying into the chance that somebody paid Campbell to do it, Donnelly stated.
Ikram stated Campbell is a stranger to her and that the rationale behind his alleged involvement is a thriller.
“I hope that things come to light … the fact that I don’t even know this individual makes me question who else could possibly be involved?” she instructed the NCS affiliate.
Campbell labored in flower supply, his legal professional instructed News 12 Long Island. His subsequent courtroom listening to is February 18.
US Congresswoman Laura Gillen, who represents the a part of Long Island the place Ikram lived, welcomed the arrest. “For years, her attacker remained at large, posing a continued threat to our communities and denying the Ikram family the justice they deserve …,” she stated in a press release.
“I’m relieved to see that an arrest has been made in the case. Now, Nafiah and her family are one step closer to receiving the justice and closure they deserve.”